Quick Watercress Salad
Hot or Cold Watercress Soup
Souffle Baked Potatoes, Gruyere & Watercress
Chargrilled Tuna with Salsa Verde
Nutritional Analysis
Per Average Portion of Fruit or Vegetables (per 80g of edible produce)
(Figures in brackets are the % of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for that nutrient – no figures, means there is no RDA for that nutrient)
| Watercress (raw) |
Broccoli (raw) |
Broccoli (boiled) |
Tomato (raw) |
Apple (raw) |
|
| Calories (kcal) | 18 | 26 | 19 | 14 | 38 |
| Protein (g) | 2.4 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Fat (g) | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Fibre (g) | 1.2 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Beta-carotene (mcg) | 2016 | 460 | 380 | 451 | 14 |
| Vitamin A equivalent (mcg) | 336 (42%) | 77 (10%) | 63 (8%) | 75 (9%) | 2 (0.3%) |
| Vitamin B1 (mg) | 0.13 (9%) | 0.08 (6%) | 0.04 (3%) | 0.07 (5%) | 0.02 (2%) |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.18 (9%) | 0.11 (6%) | 0.09 (5%) | 0.11 (6%) | 0.05 (3%) |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 50 (83%) | 70 (117%) | 35 (58%) | 14 (23%) | 5 (8%) |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 1.17 (12%) | 1.04 (10%) | 0.88 (9%) | 0.98 (10%) | 0.47 (5%) |
| Folate (mcg) | 36 (18%) | 72 (36%) | 51 (26%) | 18 (9%) | 1 (0.5%) |
| Vitamin K (mcg)* | 200 | 81 | 113 | 6 | 2 |
| Calcium (mg) | 136 (17%) | 45 (6%) | 32 (4%) | 6 (0.8%) | 3 (0.4%) |
| Iodine (mcg) | 12 (8%)** | 1.6 (1%) | 1.6 (1%) | 1.6 (1%) | Not known |
| Iron (mg) | 1.8 (13%) | 1.4 (10%) | 0.8 (6%) | 0.4 (3%) | 0.1 (0.7%) |
| Magnesium (mg) | 12 (4%) | 18 (6%) | 10 (3%) | 6 (2%) | 4 (1%) |
| Manganese (mg) | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 42 (5%) | 70 (9%) | 46 (6%) | 19 (2%) | 9 (1%) |
| Potassium (mg) | 184 | 296 | 136 | 200 | 96 |
| Zinc (mg) | 0.6 (4%) | 0.5 (3%) | 0.3 (2%) | 0.1 (0.7%) | 0.1 (0.7%) |
| Lutein and Zeaxanthin (mcg)* | 4614 | 1353 | 1214 | 98 | 23 |
| Selenium (mcg) | 1.6** | Trace | Trace | Trace | Trace |
| Quercetin (mcg)*** | 6000 | 2000 | 168 | 472 | 3416 |
Data Sources:
Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance & Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, 6th Summary Edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry.
* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19, 2006.
** Direct Laboratories analysis of watercress, 2006.
*** USDA Database, Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods, Release 2, 2006.
SUMMARY – per average portion (80g edible weight)
Compared to raw and boiled broccoli, raw tomato and a raw apple:
Watercress is the better source of vitamins B1 and B6, vitamin E, beta-carotene and vitamin A equivalents, iron, calcium and zinc (very small differences for zinc).
For vitamin C and magnesium, watercress is a better source than all of the others listed, except for raw broccoli (but this isn’t the way that it’s typically consumed in the UK).
All are low in calories and fat.